Jackrabbits ride well in a loss to South Carolina

BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. - Three South Dakota State equestrian riders took home MVP honors in a head-to-head competition at South Carolina on Saturday, but they earned them in a losing cause, as the Jackrabbits fell to the Gamecocks 12-7.

The loss drops the Jackrabbits to 0-3 in head-to-head competitions after falling to Auburn and Kansas State on Friday.

Victoria Pecak and Meredith Sauer earned MVP honors in the English events, but the Jackrabbit English riders came up on the short end of a 7-3 score.

On the Western side, Kelsey Champagne won the Jacks only point in horsemanship, but SDSU took three of the five points in reining to win the event, including an MVP performance by Lydia Placzek. Helen Laugh and Angela Gebhart also earned points in reining, but the USC Western riders edged the SDSU team 5-4.

The SDSU English team returns to action on Oct. 9-10 at an IHSA show in River Falls, Wis., while the Western team returns to action on Oct. 29-30 in an IHSA show at the Swiftel Center in Brookings.